


𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐒 | 𝙡𝙪𝙠𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚

by phoenixofjewel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Romantic Fluff, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29603715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixofjewel/pseuds/phoenixofjewel
Summary: Courtney Dhawan, an ordinary girl from Paris has been friends with the Couffaines and the Agrestes for quite some time and their lives have been as normal as ever. But ever since new masked heroes and villains started showing up, she desired to know who they were and what their motives could be. Will she discover their identities or uncover something far more surprising?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alix Kubdel & Lê Chiến Kim, Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Juleka Couffaine & Luka Couffaine, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Luka Couffaine/Reader, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Max Kanté/Alix Kubdel
Kudos: 8





	1. 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐓

**Author's Note:**

> 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑
> 
> I do not own any of the characters except for the Dhawan family.
> 
> All characters are owned and created by the developers of Miraculous Ladybug. I have simply altered the storyline and dialogue to fit my vision of this story.
> 
> I shall not permit re-use of this storyline anywhere else, even if credited.
> 
> ⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
> 
> 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚:
> 
> This story does not take place in any particular season or episode.
> 
> All characters are 16 and above.
> 
> Some things have been changed in the story so that it wouldn't be a complete copy of the series. the alterations will be explained later.
> 
> Enjoy reading!
> 
> ⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

The golden hue of the morning sun bloomed through the undrawn curtains, making their way onto the caramel colored skin of a slumbering frame.

Her thick black hair stood out from all ends in a tangled mess while she laid on her stomach.

The rays of light did not seem to faze her as she had thoughtfully kept a tower of books on her bedstand to block it from reaching her face. If anyone loved sleep, it was her.

But alas, all good things come to an end.

" _Courtney_! Get up, you're going to be late for school again!" Courtney's mother yelled from the kitchen.

" _Mmph_ , gimme five more minutes." She begged, hoping to return to her dreamland once again.

"Courtney, we're leaving in fifteen minutes or else." This made the teenager force her eyes open, "What? Hey, that's not fair!" She protested from, now wide awake.

"Would you rather me come over there and slap you?" Courtney halted hearing the sound of hurried footsteps and quickly butted, "See you in fifteen!" already running to the bathroom.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Twenty minutes later and the Dhawans were finally at the school.

Checking her wristwatch and realizing she was late, Courtney rushed to the school doors, barely having any time to say goodbye to her mother.

"Well, fuck." She muttered on seeing the empty hallways while her mind was filled with hymns and prayers, hoping not to get caught by the principal again; she had barely escaped the last time.

Stealthily, she darted to her class and entered, and was greeted with her Economics teacher.

"There she is!" Rose giggled, pointing at the latecomer. A couple of classmates snickered.

"Yes, Rose. I see that she's here." She spoke in a firm voice, her eyes still trained to the individual.

Courtney closed the door and feigned a smile, "uh, present _mademoiselle_?" Alex snorted loudly, followed by the rest of the class giggling as well.

"Courtney, this habit has to stop. You can't keep coming late to school and getting away with it. You're my best student, don't let sleep get in the way of you." Courtney nodded and apologized sincerely before retreating to her seat beside Juleka.

"If only she knew I was late because I messed up my eyeliner." she whispered to the latter. "..Or maybe it was because you were playing Among Us all night long?" Courtney paused for a second and gave in, "Or that too." she shamelessly admitted.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Several hours passed, and it was the last class of the day. Unfortunately, it was biology.

"Why me?" Courtney said to herself as she massaged her temple, attemting to relieve an oncoming headache.

" _Tu sais_ , for the smartest kid in our grade, you're really dramatic." Max remarked, pushing his glasses upward with a cheeky smile.

"Atleast I'm the smartest kid in the grade." She replied, watching him roll his eyes at her comment.

" _Shh.._ Alya! What if he heard?" A voice from in front of them spoke, and based on the voice it belonged to Marinette.

"Stop worrying yourself, girl. He didn't." The brunette giggled back at her frazzled best friend.

"Keep talking at that volume and he might." Courtney whispered to Max, who was clearly eavesdropping with her.

Marinette and Alya were startled to hear their voices and looked behind them, only to find Max and Courtney turned elsewhere. They turned back cautiously and went back to their work, completely oblivious to Courtney and Max's giggling.

Adrien, who was adjacent to Marinette and Alya in front of them, looked back at Courtney and waved cheerfully.

Courtney blushed a little, obviously not expecting someone to hear her laugh, and nervously waved back. He smiled back at her, and went back to his project.

Courtney watched the model in all his glory and admired his smooth blonde hair glistening like the sun from the back. Even from behind, he looked like someone important. No wonder he was Paris' sweetheart. And many girls' too.

"Are you done?" Max's voice echoed in her brain and she broke free of her thoughts. "Because I would love to ace this project anytime today." She looked at him bemused and tried to focus on the project for the rest of the day.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"Courtney, wait up!" Alix said as she ran up to Courtney and Max as they exited the class.

"Oh, hey Alix." Max blushed, scratching the back of his neck. "Hey." She waved, smiling at him.

Courtney smirked, "Careful, you might walk into a wall if you don't stop staring at each other."

"Shut up." Alix and Max said at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise and nervously chuckled.

A ring was heard from Courtney's pocket and she took out her phone. It was from Luka.

┍━━━━━━"𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲"━━━━━━┑

u still coming over ?

_(1:02pm_ )

of course blue 

btw loving the new lowercase vibe ;)

yeah i like it too.

great, see you there !

_(1:02pm)_

┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

After sending it, she put her phone back in her pocket and turned to her friends, "Hey guys, I have to go now. See you later." She said, already making her way to Juleka and Rose.

"Still on for today?" Rose asked, her ocean eyes full of hope. "Of course. Let's go." Courtney smiled, looking down at her.

" _Yay_! My two best friends are so amazing!"

"Okay, okay, we know." Juleka joked.

Courtney giggled, warmly accepting the hug Rose was giving them right then, and attempted to hug her back if not for the blonde's tight grip hurting her arms. But she didn't have the strength to object as usual, since how could anyone ever reject _that_?

After Rose let go and the blood began rushing back to her arms, Courtney cleverly quipped some teases and jokes to lighten the mood, and laughter started to rise between the trio as they walked to the Couffaines houseboat to spend the rest of their day.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ᵃˡʳⁱᵍʰᵗʸ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱʳˢᵗ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ ᵈᵒⁿᵉ!  
> ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ˡᵉᵗ ᵐᵉ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ⁱⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ ᵒʳ ⁿᵒᵗ. ᵃ ᵛᵒᵗᵉ ᵒʳ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵃᵖᵖʳᵉᶜⁱᵃᵗᵉᵈ!  
> ᵗʰⁱˢ ʷᵃˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖⁱˡᵒᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ᵃᶜᵗᵘᵃˡ ᵖˡᵒᵗ ʷⁱˡˡ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᶜᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵒˡˡᵒʷⁱⁿᵍ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳˢ ʷʰᵉⁿ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵃʳᵉ ᵘᵖˡᵒᵃᵈᵉᵈ.  
> ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ ⁿᵒʷ, ⁱ ʰᵒᵖᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵘᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ʷᵉᵉᵏ, ˢᵒ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵖʳᵒᶜᵉᵉᵈ ᵘⁿⁱᶠᵒʳᵐˡʸ ʷⁱᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵃⁿʸ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵏˢ.
> 
> ᵗʰᵃⁿᵏ ʸᵒᵘ ᶠᵒʳ ʳᵉᵃᵈⁱⁿᵍ!  
> ⁻ᵖʰᵒᵉⁿⁱˣᵒᶠʲᵉʷᵉˡ


	2. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘

It had been a few minutes since Courtney, Juleka and Rose had arrived to the Liberty. They met up with Luka, who had also returned from his school, on his cycle.

His teal hair shone in the afternoon sunlight, almost imitating like ocean waves dancing on his head as he took off his helmet. His aqua eyes shortly came into view, which sparkled in the rays of light. His pale skin was glowing. And his face was perfectly shadowed and shaded, making his chiselled cheekbones and sharp jawline more prominent. Anyone would admit that he was handsome.

With his infamous guitar on his back, he greeted the girls, "Hey, guys." while warmly smiling at each of them. His gaze, however, seemed to linger just a bit more on the staring brunette. Courtney quickly broke out of her trance and they did their special handshake.

"Hey, blue." She playfully punched his chest. He feigned hurt, holding a hand to the spot, _"Already?_ I just arrived and you assaulted me." The girl gasped, "I barely touched you!" She objected.

"Must be your inner Indian strength." He continued, staring into the distance, "..Or your lack of exercise." She humoured.

_"Hey!"_ Luka's fake offended tone made Juleka chuckle.

"Hi, Luka!" Rose interrupted. The bickering couple turned to the blonde.

All of them were starving and desired food. So, Anarka, Juleka and Luka's mother, had _naturally_ prepared some grilled cheese sandwiches, which she knew, were their favourites.

"Mom, we're home! And we brought friends!" Luka's deep voice bellowed when they entered. It sent shivers down Courtney's spine, not that she'd admit it, of course.

"In the kitchen!" She replied from the next room.

_"Hmm..._ I wonder what that smell could be?" Courtney teased, raising an eyebrow in mischief. Luka smirked at her expression.

The teens looked at each other in excitement and yelled, _"Grilled cheese!"_ while running to the open dining room/kitchen to relieve them of their hunger.

Courtney took the first chair on the left with Juleka and Rose trailing behind, Luka following suit.

"Hey, lads!" Anarka didn't bother waving and instead slid four plates to the needy children, knowing well that they were paying attention to something else. The kids muttered a chorus of salutations and started eating.

"Thanks, Ani!" Courtney's muffled voice spoke, her mouth full of food. She smiled and ruffled her long black hair.

_'Ani'_ was the nickname the brunette used for Anarka after they debated calling her _'Mom'_ but Courtney found it too personal. Although the mother was a little sad, she understood the girl. Rose alternated between calling her Ms Ani and Anarka.

After about five minutes, all the plates were empty. "So, how was school? Any akumatizations?" She asked, concerned. Ever since her two children got akumatized, she had been taking extra care in making sure her kids are safe and happy. Courtney noticed and admired her actions. Her mother was like that too, but she can be a little too careful sometimes.

"School was great, mom. Everyone was fine." Juleka smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, no deadly butterflies flying around anywhere." Courtney sarcastically commented, admiring the DVD rack on the shelf. "What's next, malicious unicorns that cry blood?"

They were silenced.

"We have to take care of ourselves from now on. We can't just let some old man in a tight suit dictate our lives!" She turned to face them, eyes full of determination.

It was clear that she was pissed. And for the right reasons, of course. Hawkmoth had done enough to the citizens of Paris, how long would they keep up with this? Why is he doing this? Why had he not been arrested yet?

"Calm down, you might attract an akuma yourself." Juleka attempted to lighten the mood. Courtney smiled.

"The chances of me getting akumatized are _very_ slim, Jules."

"Why do you keep saying that when you don't know for sure?"

The conversation was interrupted when Anarka got a phone call on her phone. She answered the call and left for her room. Judging by how she was talking, it was probably a work call.

"I... don't know. I'm just not akumatizable material." The young girl continued, "I mean, can you picture me as a villain?"  
After thinking for a bit, they shook their heads. "But you can't see the future." She shrugged, "Yeah, you're right. It's just my gut feeling." 

Courtney wasn't sure of a lot of things in her life. But something about her getting akumatized was very unlikely for her to process. She just couldn't see it happen, no matter how hard she tried.

When she first told this to Max, he couldn't believe it because according to his "statistics," _everyone_ had to get akumatized at some point. Ever since that conversation, Courtney strived to prove him wrong and show him that people can still beat this, whatever ' _this'_ was.

Most of her friends didn't think the same way at first. Juleka, Rose and Myléne needed some convincing, but Alix, Max and Luka were down. Adrien was a bit hesitant to answer, for reasons Courtney didn't know. Most of the time, Adrien was an open book, but he turned kind of mysterious when it came to the superheroes and supervillains.

"Moonlight, are you alright?" The brown-eyed girl felt a hand on her shoulder, only to find Luka behind her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He didn't look convinced with her answer, so she continued, "No, really. I was just thinking."

"If you say so." He said, briefly glimpsing at his guitar.

"Did you finish your new piece yet?" She asked, hoping to change the subject. His face lit up like a little boy who received a balloon, "Yeah, I did. Wanna hear it?" Courtney nodded excitedly; She always loved his songs.

He grabbed his guitar and sat down on the couch, getting ready to play.  
A gentle melody filled the room. It sounded like a heavenly tune played at Disney movies. Each chord and note played by Luka's slender fingers only further demonstrated his skill, if that were possible. He really was talented.

When he reached the end of the song, Courtney was left longing for more. "That was beautiful. What's it called?"

He pondered for a moment. "Huh, I don't know."

"Maybe, I can help. I'm great at creating names." She offered. "For example, name it after me." He glanced at the girl with a surprised look. "What? It's not that bad of an idea. You name it Courtney till we find a better one." She settled.

He grinned and shook his head, "It's not a bad name. I like it." He stood up, now looking down at her.

"It kind of fits as well," She raised an eyebrow, expecting him to continue, "Beautiful, like you said."

Courtney swiftly looked around her, praying Rose wasn't listening―she was not mentally prepared to hear her high-pitched screaming right now―then looked back at Luka, who was smirking as usual.

"If we're naming the song based on beauty, I suggest naming it Marinette, _non?_ " She teased.

His face quickly flashed a pink shade before he regained composure. "Jealous are we?"

_"Pourquoi?_ Do you want me to?" She asked, tilting her head. He looked like he was debating answering or not.

' _At this point, they should call me Master of Changing Subjects_ ,' Courtney thought to herself, mentally facepalming at her bluntness.

_"Courtney!_ Look what Juleka and I found!" Rose exclaimed from the other room.

' _Huh, when did they get in there?'_ Courtney thought, _'maybe when we were talking?'_

"You should get going. I'll be in my room if you need me." He said.

Courtney retreated to Juleka's room where they were called to and saw Juleka on her bed with her laptop.

She gestured to the laptop and turned it to the others. On the lit-up screen was an article on Ladybug and Chat Noir on the Ladyblog.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir seen at the Eiffel Tower. How romantic!" Courtney rolled her eyes. Rose was a hopeless romantic, that's for sure.

"That's what you called me for? Private details on other people's lives?" She crossed her arms at the swooning blonde.

"Ya damn right you did. Scoot over, y'all lemme see 'em too!" She plopped herself on the purple bed, looking at the laptop in anticipation.

The two girls looked at each other, then at Courtney and burst out laughing. Courtney couldn't help it and started giggling too.

"I'll bring the popcorn!"

"I'll bring nuggets!"

"I'll sit and stare into this laptop!"

_"Courtney!"_

"...fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ˢᵉᶜᵒⁿᵈ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᵈᵒⁿᵉ !  
> ᵗʰⁱˢ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ʷᵃˢ ᵐᵃⁱⁿˡʸ ᶠᵃᵐⁱˡⁱᵃʳⁱᶻⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵃⁱⁿ ᶜʰᵃʳᵃᶜᵗᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵉʳ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿᵃˡⁱᵗʸ.  
> ⁱ'ᵐ ᵍᵒⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵗʳʸ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱⁿˢᵉʳᵗ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ˢᵗᵒʳʸˡⁱⁿᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᵉˣᵗ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳˢ, ˢᵒ ˢᵗᵃʸ ᵗᵘⁿᵉᵈ !  
> ᵗʰᵃⁿᵏ ʸᵒᵘ ᶠᵒʳ ʳᵉᵃᵈⁱⁿᵍ !


	3. 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝙏𝙒𝙊 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙎.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙮𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨' 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙄𝙛 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙮.

𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤; 𝙏𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨' 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙮 ―𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤― 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙; 𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.

"It doesn't make sense!" Courtney sighed to herself, turning her computer off. She tended to talk to herself whenever she was concentrating.

She swiftly got up from her chair and questioned herself, "Where did they even come from anyway? Who made them?" She was frustrated, to say the least.

After hanging out with the Couffaines, she had been up all night trying to learn about the Miraculous' and their origin.

She had surfed numerous sites and read online books on the topic, and found some interesting information.

_"The identites of the Miraculous holders should always remain hidden._  
 _To ensure secrecy, every Miraculous has the ability to erase non-Miraculous holders'_ _memories if they get close to finding out the identites of said masked heroes."_

"Oh, how delightful." She sarcastically said. Then, her facial expression changed. "What if I already found a Miraculous holder and they erased my memory?"

She groaned and ran her hand through her hair, "No, that's impossible, Courtney. You have no social life whatsoever."

She sat back down on her gaming chair and turned her computer back on.

_"The more Miraculous' a person uses at once, the weaker they get. Eventually, it would weaken a normal human body in the long-term. The last reported case of a Miraculous severely affecting its owner was the Owl miraculous, which has been missing from the Miraculous box for years. Alongwith the Owl Miraculous, the Hawkmoth Miraculous hasn't been found as well. The last known Keeper of the Miraculous has yet to retrieve them."_

_"_ _There are currently ten known Miracoulous' that have been exposed to the public in the city of Paris, France. Could this mean that the Keeper resides there?"_

_"Including Hawkmoth and Mayura, that would be twelve. That's a lot of power concentrated in one area, considering the fact that the Ladybug and the Chat Noir Miraculous' are the most powerful of the lot, and both are in frequent use. Owning both the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous' would result in immense power; Power that is considered god-like. The effects of these would be disasterous and should be controlled as the events of the previous years has shown that Hawkmoth is indeed after them, and he should be stopped at all costs."_

"If only I could somehow help." She said, frowning. For her past two birthdays, she had wished to save the place she called home, from that evil, monstrous man terrorizing people to live in caution and fear.

She clenched her fists and threw herself onto her double bed, proceeding to snuggle herself on the beige satin sheets.

Maybe sleep would help?

After a minute or two, she decided against it and got up, groggy-eyed, positioned herself on the chair and continued scrolling through sites, hoping to find some sort of weakness she could find against Hawkmoth.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Courtney awoke to the sound of her phone ringtone blaring right next to her ears.

She jerked upright and immediately felt a wave of pain in the back of her neck. _"Ouch!"_ She lifted a hand up to her neck, massaging it, while grabbing the phone with the other.

"Adrien, what have I told you about calling me in the morning?" Her deep, sleepy voice asked.

Apparently, she slept at her desk for the remainder of the night. That would explain the neck pain.

A shaky laugh was heard from the other end. "Sorry! I thought eleven was late. I'll just.. call you later."

"No, no. I'm sorry. What made you call?" She shyly insisted, feeling bad for being rude. Clearing her throat, she straightened her posture and paid attention to his voice.

"Oh, I need your help. I need to go out with somebody, but my father won't let me unless I have a very good reason."

_"Oh là là!_ Seeing someone at _this_ hour? _Without_ telling your father? Getting scandalous, are we?" She playfully smirked as if he could see her.

"Actually, I made plans with Kagami and I was hoping you'd cover for me?" He chuckled, almost as if to camoflauge his embarrassment.

Courtney's jaw dropped, shocked. She was definitely awake now.

"Hold up, you're going on a _date_ with Kagami? In the morning?" The girl supported herself with her elbows, placing them on the table.

He chuckled. Adorably. "It's not a date. Just two friends hanging out with each other."

"Right.. 'cause you two have been _such_ good fence-mates recently." She sarcastically remarked, "Sneaking out, skating in the moonlight, eating each other's faces off.."

A thud was heard from the phone. "Huh, what, when--who tol--How?" He stuttered and stumbled.

The brunette laughed heartily. "You left the door open. Next time, try a secluded area instead."

_"Hey!_ It was one time, and _she_ kissed me on the cheek!" He rebutted quickly. Courtney would _kill_ to see his face right then.

_"Awwh!_ is someone getting flustered?" She heard some scuffling from the latter. Then, she heard high-pitched giggling in her ear.

Squinting her chocolate eyes, she asked him, "Uh, Adri? Is someone with you?"

"No!" He coughed, "Sorry, I mean, no. Maybe it was the wind?" He didn't sound very convincing, but Courtney was willing to let it go for now.

_"Hmm,_ alright. Listen, about the date.. tell your father that you are going to an extra fencing class. He knows about the upcoming championships, so there's a high chance that he'll believe you."

"But what if he finds out I'm with Kagami?" He asked, worried.

"Then tell him that she's your fencing partner. It's not a lie, and from what I know, he admires the Tsurugi family."

"What if it doesn't work?" He sounded like he was panicking.

"Woah, you really like her, don't you?" She giggled, "Just relax and trust yourself and he'll believe you." She said, _"Oh!_ And don't forget to tell me everything when you come back!"

"Okay, I'll try. Thanks, Courtney! You're a really great friend." He contently replied.

"Anytime, blondie. Now, don't have too much fun, ha! And remember what I told you, okay?"

"I will. Thanks again, Court. _Au revoir!"_  
They bid their goodbyes and ended the call.

Courtney yawned and stretched, cracking her knuckles as she made her way to the bathroom.

"New day, same schedule." She quoted, grabbing her toothpaste. Smearing some toothpaste on, she began brushing her teeth, commencing her daily routine once more.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

_"There's no point! We'll never find a suitor for her in time!"_

_"Suuki! What have I told you about staying positive?"_

_"I know, Lailli, I know! But she's getting worse and worse and we have no idea where the holder could be!"_

_"Say, what about Paris? I heard Tikki and Plagg saying that there's a Miraculous Keeper there."_

_An excited squeal was heard. "It's worth a shot!"_

_"Great, we leave tomorrow!"_

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰


	4. 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚 | 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓

The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. The flowers were blooming. Everything was perfect and serene; That is until Courtney realized she was forgetting something.

"Shit! The forum!" She rushed to her computer and logged in to the site. She clicked the _'Discuss'_ section and noticed the dozens of messages calling for her.

_'Guys, has anyone heard from @thebrownbadass?'_ One commented, _'No.. but she promised she'd be here :('_

Courtney facepalmed. She typed an apology, _'fuck, sorry y'all. lost track of time.'_

She checked the participant list. In faint blue text on the far left side of the screen, it read, ' _1043 online.'_ Courtney silently cursed to herself.

"It's alright, shall we continue?" After a chorus of approval, the host _(@trutheories)_ picked up where he left off before.

Miraculous Myths _(also known as M.M)_ was well-known for the accurate theories and conspiracies they come up with. Each post had a following of its own, and the analogies by users were almost never wrong.

Courtney found their site on an advertisement that was displayed on one of her e-books and joined seconds later. Since then, she'd gained more than two thousand followers just from a couple of theories she had put out.

Over time, she'd also come to love her passion for writing, and admired her fans for encouraging her to do so. The attention almost made her feel like a celebrity.

She kept this a secret from her friends and family, mostly because she didn't want to get embarrassed. Plus, she wanted to keep her two worlds separate.

Since her sudden burst of fame online, she had been invited to attend the weekly meetings the most popular of users hosted, and she had never been more grateful.

But unsurprisingly, she had messed up, and had forgotten to attend that day's meeting.

Each week, there was a specific topic that was discussed and analysed from every point of view, various sources and statements and what not. It was like a crime investigation, where the detectives interrogate and find clues to solve a mind-bending mystery.

Anyway, the topic for that day was 'Multiple Miraculous' which was what Courtney was looking at the day before. She had prepared flash cards and notes for it, but unfortunately, it was too late to use them.

"Okay, looks like we ran out of time. We'll continue this tomorrow." Brodin, _@trutheories_ ' real name, concluded, voice filled with exhaustion.

The participants thanked him and the discussion was ended.

Courtney frustratingly ran a hand through her hair and sighed. 'Could you be any more unproductive?'

Feeling the need to do something, she picked up her Chemistry textbook, sat at her desk and prepared to study.

_"_ _Chemical reactions are those which contain two or more reactants.."_

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

A few hours later, Courtney was bored and decided to go on a walk.

She walked out of their apartment and locked the door.

On exiting the building, she realized it were these moments that made her wish that her mother didn't work extra hours like she used to. The sixteen year old just wanted her best friend back. They were inseparable before.. before her father left.

Life went pretty downhill after that. Her mother had started working continuously to sustain their household while Courtney worked hard in school and became the top student in her grade.

She made new friends along the way too, but there were times where she just wanted to be with her mother, watching horrible Indian dramas and roasting the shit out of them, whilst stuffing themselves with loads of unhealthy fast-food.

Now, they had seldom spent time together, and Courtney would give anything she could to change that.

The rhythm of her black synthetic boots hitting the gray pavement as she walked around the park reminded her of Luka's recent melody that he showed her the day before.

She began humming to the song and whipped out her phone to check her social media accounts.

She answered a couple of unanswered DM's from her friends before she abruptly bumped into someone.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to use your phone while walking on the road?" A teasing voice spoke. Courtney's head raised at the familiar voice.

"Luka? What are you doing here?"

He smiled and flicked her forehead playfully, "Well, I heard someone humming my song and decided to come over?" She shook her head, her smile slowly fading.

"Is your mom still at work?" She nodded, looking at the ground and admiring his tri-coloured shoes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He consoled, coming closer and wrapping her around his arms.

Luka always had an unforgettable scent; It was a mix of vanilla and freshly brewed coffee. But his hair smelt like honey and coconut, probably from his really good, inexpensive shampoo that he would not tell anyone about.

She stood on her tippy-toes and hugged him back tightly.

After letting go, the couple stared at each other, eyes twinkling in the evening light while their hands met, firmly grasping each other.

"Anyway, enough about me, how are you?" She broke the silence and asked.

" _Moi?_ I'm fine. Actually, I came here because my mom forced me to. It was a lucky coincidence that you'd be here." He said, giving her an adorning smile.

She gestured him to walk with her. He obliged, strolling alongside the boundary of the park.

"How's Jules?" She queried, looking at him. "She's good. She's with Rose right now, unsurprisingly."

Courtney giggled, "Why can't we be like them?" The boy fake pouted. "You mean be _just friends?"_ She laughed, "Not me quoting Adrien." He began laughing as well.

"Honestly though, I love the guy, but sometimes he can be a lil' too oblivious."

He slowly trailed his eyes down to their interwined hands, then back at her face.

He cleared his throat, "So, how are your karate classes going on?" He changed the subject.

"They're good. Oh wait, I forgot! I applied for the championships!" His face lit up in response. _"Mon dieu!_ That's really good news, congratulations!"

"Thanks. I really hope I win." He scoffed, like he caught someone in a lie. "I've seen you play, Courtney. You'll win, I believe in you.

Her cheeks redden due to his words, one of her hands scratching the back of her neck. "Thanks, blue. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"No, you d-did not!" Luka wheezed, leaning forward and holding his stomach. "Please-please tell me you're lying!" He couldn't even get the words out.

Courtney shook her head, cackling along with him. _"Mon Dieu!"_

"Stop laughing! It's embarrassing!" She blushed, bashful.

He waved his arms in front of him, signalling that he was out of breath.

After a minute of heavy panting for recovery of air, he straightened his posture. "Guess we're not letting you near any dumplings again."

She hit his arm light-heartedly. "Shut up." She tried not to laugh.

"I'm literally crying." He said, wiping tears out of his eyes.

The two were interrupted by Courtney's phone buzzing through her pocket.

She took the phone out with a smile and excitedly said, "Hi mom!"

Seeing her face brighten made Luka grin too. "Are you home?" She waited for a response. "Oh that's amazing! I'm coming over now! Bye!"

She cut the call and looked at Luka, expecting him to protest. "Luka, I am so sorry but-"

"Go." He said before she could explain. "Really?" She asked, making sure. "Of course. Do you need a ride?" He offered, pointing to his cycle. "I even have an extra helmet." He insisted.

Courtney shifted her gaze between Luka and the cycle. "Are you sure?"

"One thousand percent." He replied immediately.

"Well.. okay. Thanks a lot, Luka." She wrapped her arms around his waist.

He ruffled her hair. "Anytime. Now come on, she must miss you a lot." He took her hand and led them to his cycle, being sure to give her a helmet as well.

He sat on the cycle first, then she later whilst she tightly hugged his frame from the back as he rode full-speed to the Dhawan household.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰


End file.
